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Pilatus · fares 2026What Pilatus costs – and what the pass saves
One mountain, three railways, two round trips and two seasons: the Pilatus price list has more lines than it needs. Here are all 2026 fares from the operator's PDF, sorted by the question you are actually asking.
- Winter from Kriens CHF 60
- Golden Round Trip CHF 119.80
- Silver Round Trip CHF 94.20
- Children 6–15
- half price
- under 6
- free
- Dog
- CHF 14
Checked on 22 September 2026 · Source: Pilatus-Bahnen AG, price list 2026 · Photo: Paradise Chronicle, CC BY-SA 4.0
Railways only: summer and winter fares
The basic fare covers the ride up and down, whether you start in Kriens with gondola and Dragon Ride or in Alpnachstad with the cogwheel railway – and whether you come down the same side or the other one. From December to April only the Kriens side runs, and the price drops.
| Ticket | Full | Half Fare · child | Swiss Travel Pass · GA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up and down, summer from Kriens or Alpnachstad | 84.00 | 42.00 | 42.00 |
| One way, summer | 42.00 | 21.00 | 21.00 |
| From Lucerne incl. bus 1, summer Lucerne – Kriens – Kulm – Kriens – Lucerne | 93.60 | — | 42.00 bus in the pass |
| Up and down, winter from Kriens only | 60.00 | 30.00 | 30.00 |
| From Lucerne incl. bus 1, winter | 69.60 | — | 30.00 |
| Kriens – Fräkmüntegg, return | 46.00 | 23.00 | 23.00 |
| Fräkmüntegg – Kulm, return | 38.00 | 19.00 | 19.00 |
| Kriens – Krienseregg, return | 24.00 | 12.00 | 12.00 |
Rule of thumb: Half Fare Card, GA, Swiss Travel Pass, Eurail and Interrail all pay the same on Pilatus: half. The Lucerne Travel Pass rides free. The half prices for partial routes and the one-way fare are calculated from the full fare; the PDF does not list them separately.
Honestly: The summer fare applies from May to November, wet October included. Go up via Kriens in November and you pay CHF 84 for the same gondola that costs 60 in December – and the cogwheel railway may already be closed. The cut-off is the season, not the weather.
Golden and Silver Round Trip: what is in the price
The Golden Round Trip combines the boat Lucerne – Alpnachstad, cogwheel railway, Dragon Ride, gondola and bus 1 back to Lucerne, bookable from May to October. The Silver one swaps the boat for the Zentralbahn train and runs until November. First class exists only on boat and train – the mountain railways have no classes.
| Round trip | 2nd class | 1st class | Half Fare · child | STP · GA | Interrail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Round Trip boat, May to October | 119.80 | 136.80 | 59.90 | 42.00 | 60.90 |
| Golden without bus | 115.00 | — | — | 42.00 | — |
| Silver Round Trip train, May to November | 94.20 | 98.00 | 47.10 | 42.00 | 45.40 |
The difference between Golden and Silver, CHF 25.60 in 2nd class, is the price of the boat instead of the train. The difference between Silver and the plain railway ticket from Lucerne, 60 centimes, is the train to Alpnachstad – the operator sells the Silver Round Trip for practically the price of the bus ticket.
Rule of thumb: With Swiss Travel Pass or GA every variant costs CHF 42, because boat, train and bus are in the pass. Then the Golden Round Trip is no longer a question of money, only of season.
Same cabin, two prices.CHF 84 in November, 60 in December – the price list knows seasons, not weather.
Four kinds of traveller, one day on Pilatus: the sums
All amounts are calculated from the fares above, for one summer day, without food. The boat from Lucerne is included only in the round trips or in the pass.
| Who | What | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Couple without a pass | Golden Round Trip, 2 × 119.80 | CHF 239.60 |
| Couple with Half Fare Card | Golden Round Trip, 2 × 59.90 | CHF 119.80 |
| Couple with Swiss Travel Pass | Golden Round Trip, 2 × 42, boat and bus in the pass | CHF 84.00 |
| Family, 2 adults, 2 children | Up and down from Kriens, 2 × 84 + 2 × 42 | CHF 252.00 |
| Same family with SBB Junior Card | 2 × 84, accompanied children free | CHF 168.00 |
| Same family in winter | from Kriens, 2 × 60 + 2 × 30 | CHF 180.00 |
Rule of thumb: A couple with a Swiss Travel Pass pays less for the Golden Round Trip than one person without a pass. Whether a Half Fare Card pays off for your trip depends on its SBB price and your other journeys; on Pilatus alone it saves CHF 42 per person.
Honestly: GetYourGuide lists the Kriens ticket “from €63.74”. That is the winter fare of CHF 60. From May to November the operator charges CHF 84, and so does the platform on the day. A “from” price on Pilatus is always the winter price.
Children, dogs, groups, bicycles
Children from 6 to 15.99 years pay half; with an SBB Junior Card or Child Travelcard they ride free when accompanied, and under 6 they ride free anyway. Groups of 10 or more get 30 per cent off route tickets, but only on the day at the counter, not in the online shop. Dogs cost CHF 14 up and down according to the website. None of the three railways carries bicycles. Municipal day passes, promotional day passes and SBB saver fares are not valid on Pilatus.
- Child 6–15
- 50 %
- Junior Card
- free
- Group of 10+
- −30 %, on site only
- Dog
- 14 CHF
- Bicycle
- no
A stopover costs nothing extra.At Krienseregg and Fräkmüntegg you may get off and carry on later – the ticket stays valid.
Where to buy: operator, platform or counter
The prices above apply at the counters in Kriens and Alpnachstad and in the operator's online shop. For the cogwheel railway the operator recommends a seat reservation in fine weather; only the shop shows the fee. Platforms sell the same tickets in euros, converted and sometimes marked up:
“I want the Golden Round Trip in euros, on my phone.”Mount Pilatus: Self-Guided Golden Roundtrip from Lucerne + Boat Cruise
Honestly: €127.28 matches the operator's CHF 119.80 at the daily rate – no discount, but hardly any mark-up either. Few reviews because the product is new; the ticket is the same.
“Just up and down, start in Alpnachstad or Kriens, back wherever.”From Alpnachstad or Kriens: Mount Pilatus Roundtrip Ticket
Honestly: Matches the CHF 84 summer fare. With a Half Fare Card or pass you buy at the counter for CHF 42 – no platform can offer that.
What we cannot put a figure on
The seat reservation fee for the cogwheel railway appears only in the operator's online shop, not on the website. For dogs the website says CHF 14, the price list says “on request”. For the Silver Round Trip the website says “May to October”, the PDF and the cogwheel season say “May to November” – we follow the PDF. The price of the S5 Lucerne – Alpnachstad and of the boat outside the round trips is a matter for SBB and the shipping company. How to get there is on Mount Pilatus from Lucerne; whether the mountain is worth it for you is on the main page.
Where the figures come from
| Figure | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| All fares: up and down summer 84 / winter 60, one way 42, from Lucerne incl. bus 93.60 / 69.60, Half Fare, GA, Swiss Travel Pass, Eurail/Interrail, Golden 119.80 / 136.80 / 59.90 / 42 / 60.90 / without bus 115, Silver 94.20 / 98 / 47.10 / 42 / 45.40, partial routes 46 / 38 / 24, groups 30 %, children, no bicycles, seasons | Pilatus-Bahnen AG, price list 2026 (PDF) | 22 Sep 2026 |
| Dog CHF 14, Lucerne Travel Pass free, invalid day passes and saver fares, stopovers at Krienseregg and Fräkmüntegg, SBB Junior Card and Child Travelcard, under 6 free, groups on site only | Pilatus-Bahnen, fares and tickets FAQ | 22 Sep 2026 |
| Golden Round Trip: itinerary, May to October, classes only on boat and train, bus included, reservation advice; Silver Round Trip: Zentralbahn instead of boat | Pilatus-Bahnen, Golden Round Trip and Silver Round Trip | 22 Sep 2026 |
| Offer prices and reviews | Tiqets and GetYourGuide partner data | 22 Sep 2026 |
Calculated, not sourced: the half prices for partial routes and the one-way fare, and every amount in the “four kinds of traveller” table. Not stated: reservation fee, price of the Half Fare Card, S5 and boat fares outside the round trips.
Photo credits
- Cover, Pilatus Kulm: Paradise Chronicle, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dragon Ride and gondola: Mboesch, CC BY-SA 4.0
